Food Stories is a column in which Best of Vegan community members share recipes from their cultures and personal stories connected to those dishes. Today, Natali Eleftheriou of Natlicious Food shares her recipe for Vegan Congolese Poulet au Karanga (“Chicken” in Peanut Sauce).
This recipe was featured in Natali’s profile for the weekly BIPOC Portraits series by Val and Mani Latifi, where they interview vegan creators and shed light on the unique challenges BIPOCs face in making the decision to embrace veganism. Click here to see the full article.
Karanga means “peanuts” in Swahili and this meal is very close to my heart, as it’s my favorite food from my childhood! I grew up eating my grandam’s recipe for this dish. When I went vegan, it was one of the first recipes I tried to veganize. I’m not going to lie; I failed several times, but I perfected this recipe to my grandam’s standards. Originally this dish is made with chicken, but for my vegan version, I’m using chickpeas and sweet potato.
Published with permission from Natlicious Food.
Ingredients
- 2 x 230g chickpeas - drained weight, drained and washed
- 2 medium-size sweet potatoes or 1 large sweet potato - peeled and cut into bite-size cubes (around 300g)
- 1 medium-size onion - peeled and finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves - peeled and finely diced
- 2 finger chilies or 1 scotch bonnet or pinch chili flakes - optional
- 1 vegetable bouillon cube
- 1 teaspoon of tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon of curry powder
- ½ teaspoon each of paprika - oregano, cumin and garlic granules
- ½ teaspoon each of turmeric and ginger powder
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter - sugar free
Instructions
- In a large pot, add a touch of oil on a medium-high heat, add the onions and garlic and sauté until soft.
- After a couple of minutes, add all the spices and sauté (add splashes of water to deglaze the pot if needed).
- Add the tomato paste and stir it through. After a minute, add the sweet potatoes and sauté to cover in spices and tomato paste.
- Add the veggie cube and 500mL of boiling water, along with the peanut butter and the chickpeas. Stir well, as you need to dissolve the peanut butter.
- Add chilies or scotch bonnet, if using. Bring to a boil and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the sauce to thicken up a bit and be creamy. If it's too watery, add more peanut butter. If it's too thick, add a little bit of water.
- Adjust seasoning to your liking and check if the sweet potatoes are cooked with a fork.
Notes
Text, recipe & photography by Natali Eleftheriou of Natlicious Food.
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If you loved this Vegan Congolese Poulet au Karanga (“Chicken” in Peanut Sauce), you might also like…
https://bestofvegan.com/bipoc-portraits-natilicious-food-an-interview-with-natali-eleftheriou/
